The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) in the Western Cape has launched a Taxi Peace Ambassador Programme at the Bellville Taxi Rank as part of efforts to restore peace and stability in the province’s taxi industry.
Sixteen peace ambassadors will be appointed across the province’s eight taxi regions. This initiative comes amid a 30-day shutdown of certain routes aimed at curbing recent taxi-related violence.
Mandla Hermanus, SANTACO Regional Chairperson, explained:
“This follows our peace summit in August, where we committed to appointing leaders who can champion peace across the province and promote a violence-free minibus taxi industry. Each of the eight regions identified two respected individuals who we unveiled yesterday. They will be trained in conflict resolution and gain an understanding of the politics within the taxi industry and the factors that often lead to violence.”
The programme aims to empower respected community figures within the industry to reduce conflict and ensure safer, more stable taxi operations throughout the Western Cape.
Listen to the full interview with Mandla Hermanus below:
VOC News
Photo: VOCfm/Stock
